I have checked another item off of my Bucket List.
I coached a group from Iredell County over a period of 12 weeks. Eight very enthusiastic 3rd through 5th grade girls showed up Tuesday and Friday afternoons beginning in March. This was the Girls On the Run 2014 Spring Session (GOTR).
The original plan was to "help" a friend, co-coach the group with her at a location nearer to Hickory NC where my friend is located. Turns out the friend couldn't participate, her employer could not spare her the weekly two afternoons needed to fulfill the commitment. So... I became the coach. Two local ROCKSTARS were able to join us last minute as my lifesavers and co-coaches. Both also signed their daughters up for the session so we just had a wonderful time!
If you're unfamiliar with GOTR, it is an outstanding program for young girls. There are two age groups (elementary, middle / junior levels) and the group size ranges based on the school's size. Our group was smaller because it was a charter school with a lottery system for enrollment (limited class size). I learned a lot about the Iredell County School system while there. I live in Mecklenburg County so I missed the buses, the formality, the metal detectors, the stand-alone location, the full size athletic accommodations, etc. The Charter school had only a McDonald's sized playground for the younger children... nothing else. Most of our workouts took place at a grassy field belonging to a local church two blocks up the street from the school. Yes. My "city girl" was showing. Our mock 5K took place on the same busy streets and through a huge graveyard in Statesville NC. Beautiful location for a run, just not the expectation for an elementary school outing. *chuckle*
The program itself is well organized, written by professionals and designed to build self esteem, broaden perspectives, welcome diversity and encourage a healthy lifestyle. Coaches receive a canvas bag of goodies at the beginning of the season which includes a manual with each lesson outlined in detail. At present, there are three variations of the manual so that if a child chooses to repeat GOTR she won't get the same lessons each time.
The race itself took place at Lowe's Home Improvement Corporate Offices in Mooresville NC. We did a double loop around their vast property Saturday morning, complete with hills and bridges. Lots of volunteers and fan support. Four water stops throughout the course and Teal / Purple shirts for the runners. Teal for those that are active in GOTR and purple for those that were there to race or run with a racer. This race (as all GOTR races) is open to the public.
The race is a timed event, per se, but there is no official listing of finish times. You simply see your time on the digital clock when you cross the finish line. I was a running buddy for an adorable home-schooled 3rd grader. Very fast runner. Very slow walker. We finished in 46 min, two minutes faster than her last race. She was ecstatic! All GOTR runners wear the same running bib, they are all #1. There are no chips and no professional photographers (online sales of race photos) but lots and lots of cheering and family / friend photos.
I would encourage any parent or guardian to sign their child up, at least once, for this event. It offers lots of positive support for young ladies at a time when it is so critically needed. Kudos to our group for all finishing under 1 hour, and more importantly, for having tons of FUN while doing it!
Unofficial Time: 46:00
